Not Even Death
by minahoru
Summary: They were together for years but it feels like it only last for a day. An ephemeral love to the couple who loves each other deeply. ONE-SHOT.


_Synopsis:_ They were together for years but it feels like it only last for a day. An ephemeral love to the couple who loves each other deeply.

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A/N: This may be the saddest story that I'll make. I actually thought of this last, last year ;DD I saw it on my notebook with a title "Thinking of You" inspired from Katy Perry. Hoho. And then, I saw a prompt from I:U XD I thought, I should give it a shot. I changed the title. Nyahaha! So everyone, enjoy reading!!

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**Imagination:Unleashed**

_This is where tons of crazy authors from different fandoms live._

CHALLENGE # 23

_**Prompt # 3: Ephemeral

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**_

_**Not Even Death.**_

_And now that you're gone  
I can't cry hard enough  
No, I can't cry hard enough  
for you to hear me now_

_**Can't Cry Hard Enough-Bellefire

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**_

"_Natsume, don't slack off and play with me!" _

_The shout was radiated by the brunette little girl with a very thin voice, pulling the lad who was lazily ignoring her presence. She knows that he does not even care if she was putting a lot of effort just make him play with her, but it didn't give her any damn reason to give up pestering him._

"_Why don't you go to your prince out there?" her childhood friend, Natsume Hyuuga, bitterly said._

"_Don't be jealous over him. I just admire him, that's all!" Mikan said defensively with a pout._

"_I'm not jealous," He said in denial but Mikan just gave him a laugh. "He's just an eyesore—and don't laugh! There's nothing funny!" Irritated, he walked further away from her but she just giggled and scooted beside him as she entwined her arm around his._

Natsume stared blankly on the white-blue sky. His mind was peaceful as he thought of the times being with _his_ Mikan. It was so much fun and happiness engulfed the atmosphere because she was there beside him. There was no day that he didn't see her smile and hear her pleasing voice like there was an angel with him stopping her from thinking sad things.

Mikan Sakura and Natsume Hyuuga was ten years old back then. They are lovers and so close with each other like siblings that no one could ever thought of them separating in the future. Everybody thinks the same that they will be the happiest couple in the whole world and will love each other heartily.

It is true; even now that Natsume is already a sixteen year old guy, he loves her girl. Now, he is well-known for his beautiful face that he is always mistaken as a girl but not if he will talk for he has this cold personality that can make everyone obey him because of fright. Unlike before, he was very calm and kind.

"It's been five years," muttered the blonde haired guy, Ruka, beside him. "Time goes by so fast." He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, catching his attention with a look.

"The only thing that I'm glad about is that, there's no annoyance in my life anymore." He bit his lip. He wasn't sure if what he said is true. But what his purpose for saying that is not to make his friend worry.

"But you still miss her."

* * *

As he entered his room, he threw his bag out somewhere and slumps his body on his comfortable bed as he heaved a big sigh. It was a tough day to begin with, again. Every time he goes to school, he can't help but to bring back his memories with her. There was no second that he didn't think of her.

Maybe Ruka was right after all.

He's missing her. But he just doesn't want to admit the truth. He always seeks for things just to forget her because he can't keep on going like this. He has to move on to be able to live in the future. She has to help him to forget about her because if this continues, he will break down. He won't be able to think straight and he will just ruin his life.

Truthfully, he is crazy in love with her.

"_Natsume, if I will ask you how much you love me, what will you answer." Mikan fixed her eyes on his. Her head was on his lap and Natsume was brushing a few strands of her hair._

_He looked at her in amusement. "Why don't you just ask me directly?" _

"_I just don't want to be blunt." She looked sideways and drowns herself in a deep thought._

"_What are you thinking?" He cupped her chin and made her look at him as she shook her head and got off of his lap. "The way I love you is insane. I know this statement is overused but, words aren't enough to tell you how much I love you." He gave her a smile that's only for her._

"_Even in death, I love you, Natsume. That how much I love you." She smiled back with a tint of sadness shown in her eyes. Soon, her tears flowed on her cheeks and it was too slow for her to notice._

"_Why are you crying?" He brought her head on his chest in one hand as he worriedly thought of the possible reasons of her sadness. "It's rare of you to be sad."_

"_Nat-natsume, I-I love you so much that I can't bear-t-to leave you." She said between sobs as she continued to cry. Her eyes could bulge out with her hard cry._

"_I know," He hushed and rubbed his beloved's back. "I know…"

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_

The morning has come to greet Natsume. He is getting ready for school through his daily morning routines. Suddenly, he found himself looking at the necklace that has a shape of lock. He took a hold of it and neared it to his lips, giving it a peck for a minute with his eyes closed. The necklace is obviously important to him since it was the last gift that he received from his lover.

He hooked his bag with him and went out of his room to his school. Just in time, he went in their classroom to be greeted by such a silence. It's been like this whenever he enters the classroom. Everyone will stop talking and will look to him in sympathy. Heck, he doesn't need their pity because he is perfectly doing fine even if she's nowhere to be seen at all.

"Natsume, today is twenty." She reminded, the girl in violet eyes, Hotaru Imai.

"I see that." He answered her in a tone, as-a-matter-of-fact.

"Are we going to see her?" Butted the girl who has her wavy pink hair, Anna Umenomiya.

"Hn." His usual reply and is a yes in his own dictionary.

_He glared at the couple who was happily enjoying themselves. He never imagined that his beloved would think of breaking up with him to go for his best friend, Ruka. His heart was flicking as if there's a non-stop pricking of needles on it every second. But no matter what, he can't go out and grab his woman. After all, he is still a man who has a high pride. So all he could do now is watch them from afar with his heart being broken. _

"_Why are you breaking up with me, Mikan." He covered his eyes which are about to cry with his long bangs with his hand taking a tight grip on her wrist._

_Mikan tossed his hands away, "Because I'm tired of you. I don't love you anymore."_

"_You're lying." Natsume made her look at his eyes who were practically begging for her comeback._

"_It's the truth," She said with wide eye looking at his and perplexed face that showed dignity of what she just stated. "Wake up from your slumber, Natsume."_

"_If this is just a dream, I'd rather not to be awake and stay by your side." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. Mikan brought out all of her effort and pulled him away._

"_I never knew you can be such a fool just because of my acts." She let out a puzzled smirk. "I pity you a lot." With that, he finally let go. He let go of her heart which was stuck in his._

"_I don't need pity from the likes of you." He faced his back from her and was about to walk away but she immediately grabbed his shirt with her head bowed down to him._

"_But I did love you."She muttered. He pulled her into a hug, brushed her hair behind her ears. He looked at her with eyes in desire and by that, he gave her an intense kiss that last for a minute. A minute where they got out of breath and if a person doesn't need air, they'd continue._

_Their one last kiss.

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_

Twenty is the day that Mikan left Natsume. It was raining hard on that day and that was a lot of help to Natsume. Even if he's been screaming out loudly that it can even break a glass, no one hears it. He cried his eyes out but no one took notice of it. He was very thankful of the rain.

And now it is raining again. The sky is unclear with its grayish black color mixing along with the white. It is a very sad color that is you look up on it, you'll end up crying. And under this gloomy sky place a group of people who were sadly staring at the green grass near their friend, Mikan Sakura.

_The day was the twentieth of March year of 2006. Everyone was in a state of shock for Mikan has collapse during break time and was brought in the hospital. They were speechless; it was quiet that the only thing you can hear is the ticking of the clock. _

_Their homeroom teacher said that the hospital called and that Mikan is on the verge of dying because she has a cancer that is very dangerous to have. It is the cancer of the brain. No one thought of her having that disease for she was always cheerful and happy. Even Ruka, her current boyfriend, doesn't know a single thing about it._

_Even Natsume, her beloved one, doesn't hear this until now._

_Natsume went out in silence towards the room of Mikan. He hesitantly entered and saw her girly room as he took a sit on her bed. He grabbed the blanket and sniffed it before shoving it to his cheek. Then he cried without making any sound._

_Hotaru and Ruka went to the hospital without him to visit Mikan. He said there's no purpose of him going there if she can't even treat him as a friend. But he still finds himself desiring for the brunette so all he can do now is go to the places where he can be reminded of the days with her._

_His phone ringed. He answered it only to know it was Ruka calling. Out of nowhere, he dropped the phone and ran away as fast as he could. He's tired and his feet are numbing but even though it was like that, he couldn't stop running. He has to go to the hospital right now._

_N-Natsume…Mikan's dying…_

_Ruka is his best friend so he clearly knows if he is just kidding around. And this time, he's sure that Ruka is dead serious. He didn't give him a respond that he will go right away. His mind was blank and the thing that's in his head is to go to the Hospital and catch for Mikan._

_He put both of his hands on his knees, begging for air. Sweats are taking places on his face down to his neck. Ruka went towards him and hand out something._

_It was the necklace that he has. It was Mikan's._

"_This…" Natsume muttered._

"_What I know, Natsume is that we are just acting like a happy couple when you're there. And once you've turn your back, she'll break down and cry to me." Ruka bitterly said and embraced his best friend, "She loves you, Natsume. All along, it was just a play for the two of us."_

"_What do you mean?" Natsume pulled Ruka angrily and gave him his scariest glare that could melt a metal._

"_I think she knows that she'll die, someday. So she purposely pushed you away from her because she wants you to forget about her and hate her." Ruka looked down on the floor as his bangs covered his sad eyes._

_The doctor and the nurses came out of the ER with a bed covered with white blanket. Hotaru was the first one to move beside the bed and asked the doctor who's in it. The doctor shook his head in sadness. With that, she wasn't able to move an inch as her tears flowed._

_Natsume took the chance to pull out the blanket and saw a girl with her brunette hair, pale skin and bluish lips with hands as cold as an ice. He flicked by the scene he saw. Then he touched her cheeks as he neared his lips to hers. _

'_Why do you have to push me away?' His thought asked.

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_

They went back to their respective rooms. As for Natsume, he opened the box that was given by Hotaru the day after Mikan died. It was a video from Mikan that has a message to him. Somehow, it made him feel watching it again. He went towards his player and put the compact disk inside.

It was playing. She was wearing the hospital's dress and she was already pale on that day. Natsume watched the video in solemn.

_If you are watching this, Natsume, I suppose I'm already dead. I asked Hotaru for a favor to make video message for you. Natsume, I know you were hurt by me. I know you were angry that I broke up with you and went to Ruka. I made this video because I want you to know the truth. Ruka doesn't know about it too. He just played along with me and I was thankful that he helped me. Furthermore, I was a very bad girl because I hurt the both of you. _

_Actually, I don't know how I am going start this story to you. But I'll start with my cancer. I got this cancer since birth but since we have no money to treat this disease of mine, we shook it off. It would have been cured if we have money. Even now, I didn't get myself for Chemotherapy. Remember that you told me what you like about me the most? You said it was my long brown hair. Silly? You should be angry, ne? I'm sorry._

_After I was informed about my disease when I was nine, I promised myself that I won't get a man that will love me so that he won't get hurt by the time that I died. But then I saw you and I suddenly forgot everything. I was too unconscious of the disease that I have because of your love. _

_One day, the doctor told me that the cancer is spreading in my brain and in my heart. The doctor said I have a few years to live in and that is three more years. That was also the day that I asked you how much you love me. I treated you so well for two years and then I broke up with you._

_I don't want to hurt you. That's the reason why I broke up with you. You must think I'm stupid but that really how it was. I love you so much, Natsume. I don't need you to forgive me. I just need you to hear me._

_I want you to find the right girl and bring her to my grave. She has to be smart and beautiful unlike me who is stupid and ugly. Don't tell me that I'm not because it was you who said so. Even if this disgusts you, I'm going to kiss the camera. So kiss the television too so that we'll have our kiss. It'll be a three minute kiss which no one could really do. Here, I go. Chuu~_

_I love you so much Natsume. I know that I would know your name if I saw you in heaven. I know our love would stay the same if I saw you in heaven. So you must be strong and wait for the time you'll come in my arms. And hey, at that time, when you're in heaven, your girl that you will bring to my grave, you have to forget about her!! It's me who'll be with you here in heaven!_

_Bye, bye. I have to go for now. The doctor said that tomorrow is my last day. Haha! How silly. It's March 19 today! Natsume, I loooovveee you._

Natsume looked at screen with nothing but a black color. The video message was already finished. His tears flowed continuously. He was completely lifeless like at the time that he watched the video.

He went to the cabinet and opened it as he reached for his gun. He put it on his head with his eyes closed. But then before he pulled the trigger, he played the video when Mikan kissed the camera. He put his lips on the television while the gun stays on his head.

"There's no such girl that you want." He chuckled. "I can't wait anymore, Mikan. I need to see you." He pulled himself down on his knees and calmly closed his eyes with tears showing.

_**-BANG-**_

"Natsume!"

"Oh my God. Ruka, w-what…"

"Hotaru…!"

"Ruka…it's gonna be alright."

Yes, they love each other so much that they can bear such as dying. They were together for years but it feels like it only last for a day. An ephemeral love to the couple who loves each other deeply.

But even if they only have such a short time of love on Earth, it's different in Heaven. Not even death can cut their love with each other. Even if the God itself forbids them not to love each other, they'll be devil and fight God as they pursue their love.

_Natsume and Mikan Forever.  
_

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A/N: HOW GLOOMY. I don't like it~ Stories like this, I'm not actually reading super sad stories… But I don't know why I like writing sad stories -.- Don't mind me. Just push the green button down there. :)

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